I completed this game on 5/12/17, exactly one year ago today. I have been planning on writing this forum post since then, and as I need a break from Pillars of Eternity 1, so I decided that I needed to write this now. Let me start by saying that my memory of the plot details of this game have faded drastically, so please forgive my generalizations and lack of specific details. Nevertheless, this is not a complaint post, rather it is a request for you, as the game's developers, to start a new project aimed at restoring this idea of what T:ToN almost was... It is a request for you to make a Directors Cut version of the game.

It is my assumption that the game design document for T:ToN was originally much more ambitious. One only has to peruse the old Kickstarter page to see that. Comparing the state of the game when I completed it, admittedly it was prior to the Servants of the Tides patch, to the stretch goals on the front page of the Kickstarter is quite depressing... The absence of entire features, such as the Castoff's Labyrinth, took away from the unique vision and gameplay experience that could have been. The Labyrith, after all, was supposed to be a new solution to the "death equals reload" conundrum of game design. Looking seriously at the stretch goals and my memory of the game, I believe that the game only truly completed the 1.5m goal, maybe 2.0m with the latest patch.

As for the game itself, for me at least, the first city, Sagacious Cliffs (?), was a master-stroke of game design and really did call back to my experience playing PS:T. Yet everything that was deep and reactive quickly began to dissipate during the interlude and is almost gone by the mega-monster city, Bloom I think it was called. During the climax of the game, whole characters were introduced, important characters to the plot, just in dialogue between yourself and the First Castoff. Between that and the sad state of the Finale chapter, with its patchwork of partially designed levels, it is quite obvious that the game was supposed to be more. And this doesn't even get into the Meres and their lack of promised reactivity, both in the game features and even in the game lore itself...

I am going to stop here because again, the point of this is not to complain. It is to propose a solution. Considering the fact that the game changed lead designer halfway through development suggests that someone was brought in to finish the game "now" and they largely succeeded by cutting features, levels, and plot. Maybe the game was too ambitious for such a small design team, or maybe money was wasted hiring a full staff when it should have saving money in the beginning, or maybe I am wrong. But it is was obvious to me the T:ToN was simply amazing in the beginning and the let down slowly collapsed the plot by the end. The Sorrow and even the Changing God himself, at the end, just does not match the beginning experience.

It is my personal belief that the gaming industry is under charging for its products (I remember games costing $79 in the early nineties), and this game maybe a great example. If this game would have delivered on everything it promised, it would have been well deserving of a higher price tag. Accordingly, I suggest that Inxile make a Director's Cut of this game and give it a $80 or $100 price tag. Then maybe credit a discount for owners of the original edition. With these funds hire back the lead, and finish the original vision of the game.

At this point I have written enough. If I am right, it should obvious to the developers. If I am wrong, I am wasting my time, and the time of everyone reading this. However, I do ask the community here to join me by replying below if they would be willing pay MORE in order to get what was promised, so Inxile can see that the idea is feasible.

I don't agree with all what you said (like about the Bloom - it is nearly as good as Seagull Cliff IMHO, or about the Labyrinth - it does exist, even if it's not as rich as I hoped), but I agree on the core, TTON is a great game, but it could have been even much better, it does feel rushed/unfinished at places (but then so does PsT), and I would definitely welcome a Director's Cut, and I'm even ready to back a new Kickstarter for that purpose.

But I fear that won't happen, the game wasn't a commercial success (also like PsT), and inXile is a business first of all, they'll focus on games that sell well (Wasteland / Bard's Tale) and not on those that don't (TTON), as unfortunate as it is.

But I fear that won't happen, the game wasn't a commercial success (also like PsT), and inXile is a business first of all, they'll focus on games that sell well (Wasteland / Bard's Tale) and not on those that don't (TTON), as unfortunate as it is.

If Bard's Tale 4 sells better than Numenera I'll eat my hat. Wizardry-likes are a much tinier niche than story heavy isometric games.

games that sell well (Wasteland / Bard's Tale) and not on those that don't (TTON), as unfortunate as it is.

Not just that. "What they're most proficient with" is also the huge factor, I wager. Torment was a risk. Wasteland is less so. It's more of a known quality to work with.

Shelving all the creative effort, spent on Torment seems wasteful, but inXile isn't Obsidian. They didn't have their KoTOR2, their Neverwinter Nights 2, and their Fallout: New Vegas. They couldn't just take Torment, like Obsidian did with Pillars and be like: "How do we improve this game literally in every way, but maybe on smaller scale?"